WORLD CUP 2010

[Mountaineer]

Good start for the US in their last warm-up match against the Aussies.

Buddle with a score ~3:00 minutes in.

1-0 Uncle Sam.

[Hansel]

Buddle has looked good- hopefully Findlay won't see the field in the World Cup- he has looked horrible

[Mountaineer]

Agreed. Ugly game.

The pitch is in terrible condition, and God, those horns.

Findley with three looks for a goal and blew them all (two were wide open).

A handful of blown 2-1 on situations.

Poor defense and ball control.

Dempsey's goal should have been allowed. Terrible call.

US wins 3-1 on two goals by Buddle and Gomez.

Hope they can get in a good week of practice, because based on today, we're gonna get murderized by England.

[Grizalltheway]

Agreed. Ugly game.

The pitch is in terrible condition, and God, those horns.

Findley with three looks for a goal and blew them all (two were wide open).

A handful of blown 2-1 on situations.

Poor defense and ball control.

Dempsey's goal should have been allowed. Terrible call.

US wins 3-1 on two goals by Buddle and Gomez.

Hope they can get in a good week of practice, because based on today, we're gonna get murderized by England.

I have a feeling I'll be putting my TV on mute after the first few minutes of the first game.

[Skjellyfetti]

Australia committed some ridiculous fouls today... especially 1 week from the World Cup.

[T-Dog]

Comments and critiques are welcome.

[Grizalltheway]

Comments and critiques are welcome.

Did you mean long live 1950?

[DukeJack]

Comments and critiques are welcome.

Did you mean long live 1950?

Yeah.....I don't get it either. England won it all in '66, we didn't even qualify.

That game was in 1950:

[youtube][/youtube]

[T-Dog]

The English pundits keep talking about 1966 and will do so until they win it all again. I was going for the angle that England won't win it, thus 1966 will still be relevant.

Edited the picture and re-uploaded it.

[Grizalltheway]

The English pundits keep talking about 1966 and will do so until they win it all again. I was going for the angle that England won't win it, thus 1966 will still be relevant.

Edited the picture and re-uploaded it.

Gotcha.

You do have to feel kinda sorry for the Brits, though. They haven't really had much to cheer about since then, which I find amusing, considering they're always the "team to beat" going into major tournaments.

[Grizalltheway]

And, let's not forget that England didn't even QUALIFY for Euro 2008, and their team for South Africa is more or less an older version of that team.

[Mountaineer]

A series of 10 articles at the Time website. Good reading.

What's Wrong with the World Cup Ball?

The Global Game

South Africa: Playing the Rebel Game

The World Cup As Big Business

Yes, Soccer Is America's Game

[Mountaineer]

One on One with David Beckham

Spain: A Team United Has Fans Divided

Go, North Korea!

Can the World Cup Save Honduras?

Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth!

And Time's World Cup Page

[appmaj]

Agreed. Ugly game.

The pitch is in terrible condition, and God, those horns.

Findley with three looks for a goal and blew them all (two were wide open).

A handful of blown 2-1 on situations.

Poor defense and ball control.

Dempsey's goal should have been allowed. Terrible call.

US wins 3-1 on two goals by Buddle and Gomez.

Hope they can get in a good week of practice, because based on today, we're gonna get murderized by England.

I have a feeling I'll be putting my TV on mute after the first few minutes of the first game.

Yeah! Get use to them though. They will be at every match

[T-Dog]

FIFA has said if someone throws a vuvuzela on the pitch, they'll be banned. My guess is right before the first game, 1,000 of them will be thrown at once and someone would have paid off 1,000 fans to do it.

Also, ESPN hired a South African company to make posters for all 32 teams including a collective one. Most of them are pretty good. The USA one is terrible though in my opinion. The French one is great just because of the subtle "Fuck You Frenchies" in it.

http://www.prosebeforehos.com/sports-ed ... 2-nations/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JMU DJ]

Niiiiiiice.

RUSTENBERG, South Africa -- The Brazilian referee and his assistants who will work the England-United States match at the World Cup have been studying English-language obscenities the players might use.

Carlos Simon will referee Saturday's match in Rustenburg, assisted by Roberto Braatz and Altemir Hausmann. They want to ensure players can't get away with abuse.

"We have to learn what kind of words the players say," Hausmann told Brazilian broadcaster Globo Sport. "All players swear and we know we will hear a few."

Braatz says they aren't learning them in "11 different languages, but at least we have to know the swear words in English."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/ ... 901?ver=us" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JMU DJ]

Apparently Simon has "Yellow Fever"

RENE, South Africa (AP) — Carlos Simon went through cards with the speed of a Las Vegas dealer at the 2006 World Cup.

The Brazilian referee issued five yellows during Italy's 2-0 first-round victory over Ghana, handing the first to Danielle de Rossi 10 minutes in. He gave out eight more in Spain's 3-1 win over Tunisia, and added four yellows and a red to his total as Germany beat Sweden 2-0 in the second round.

He's been selected to officiate the big U.S.-England game at this year's World Cup on Saturday. Given an English team and an American side filled with Premier Leaguers, it could make for a match of attrition

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2 ... 8373_x.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


With all that "cursing" he's watching out for, you think he's going to be handing these out for bad language?

[bandl]

Very courteous of the NHL to bow out last night so that we can focus on the only other tournament that matters now.

So, 24ish hours until the first match. Who does everyone got advancing out of their groups? Winning in the knockouts? Winning it all?

Let's here your predictions!

I'll put out mine later today, but I've narrowed my choices for winning it all to Spain, Holland and Brazil.

[dgreco]

FIFA has said if someone throws a vuvuzela on the pitch, they'll be banned. My guess is right before the first game, 1,000 of them will be thrown at once and someone would have paid off 1,000 fans to do it.

Also, ESPN hired a South African company to make posters for all 32 teams including a collective one. Most of them are pretty good. The USA one is terrible though in my opinion. The French one is great just because of the subtle "Fuck You Frenchies" in it.

http://www.prosebeforehos.com/sports-ed ... 2-nations/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The only decent ones are the Greece, US, Italy, Mexico and Japan murals. I like the Japan and Greece murals the best.

[JMU DJ]

Very courteous of the NHL to bow out last night so that we can focus on the only other tournament that matters now.

So, 24ish hours until the first match. Who does everyone got advancing out of their groups? Winning in the knockouts? Winning it all?

Let's here your predictions!

I'll put out mine later today, but I've narrowed my choices for winning it all to Spain, Holland and Brazil.

I got Spain and Brazil in the finals... with Brazil knocking out Holland in the quarters.


Group A: Mexico and South Africa advance... I can't see France going anywhere this year, I'd say SA makes it through based off home turf, but really this is a toss up. Mexico wins the group

Group B: Argentina wins group easily, Messi scores about 50 goals. Coin toss for the rest, I've got Nigeria advancing.

Group C: Depending on Saturdays outcome. Currently I have USA winning the Group with England advancing. My English friends down here tell me I'm being silly, but I just tell them they are being twits for thinking they will do better this year with less of a team than 2006.

Group D: Germany wins group easily, another toss up for who advances. I'm going with Ghana, no real reason besides I had a friend in college who played on our intramural soccer team from Ghana... he was sick nasty. We won the league twice with him on the team.

Group E: Holland wins group, Cameroon advances

Group F: Italy wins group, Paraguay advances

Group G: Brazil wins group, Portugal advances... they had trouble qualifying, but I think with Drogba's questionable state, Portugal should be able to advance. Poor North Korea... should they even bother showing up?

Group H: Spain wins the group. Toss up amongst the rest, but I got Switzerland advancing.



Second Round:
Mexico beats Nigeria
USA beats Ghana
Germany beats England
Argentina beats South Africa
Holland beats Paraguay
Brazil beats Switzerland
Italy beats Cameroon
Spain beats Portugal

Quarters:
Brazil beats Holland
USA beats Mexico
Argentina beats Germany
Spain beats Italy

Semis:
Brazil beats USA
Spain beats Argentina

Finals
Spain beats Brazil



Lionel Messi leading goal scorer.

189 yellow cards/2.5 avg per match (considering how the past few world cups have gone, this is a gross underestimation)
17 red cards



I think if the groups break down the way I see it, USA has a legit shot to get to the Semis. USA has to win their group though, otherwise they are going to have a much tougher match up against Germany.

[93henfan]

Let's here your predictions!

The USA will lose, like normal. Does anything else about the tournament really matter?

[bandl]

Very courteous of the NHL to bow out last night so that we can focus on the only other tournament that matters now.

So, 24ish hours until the first match. Who does everyone got advancing out of their groups? Winning in the knockouts? Winning it all?

Let's here your predictions!

I'll put out mine later today, but I've narrowed my choices for winning it all to Spain, Holland and Brazil.

I got Spain and Brazil in the finals... with Brazil knocking out Holland in the quarters.


Group A: Mexico and South Africa advance... I can't see France going anywhere this year, I'd say SA makes it through based off home turf, but really this is a toss up. Mexico wins the group

Group B: Argentina wins group easily, Messi scores about 50 goals. Coin toss for the rest, I've got Nigeria advancing.

Group C: Depending on Saturdays outcome. Currently I have USA winning the Group with England advancing. My English friends down here tell me I'm being silly, but I just tell them they are being twits for thinking they will do better this year with less of a team than 2006.

Group D: Germany wins group easily, another toss up for who advances. I'm going with Ghana, no real reason besides I had a friend in college who played on our intramural soccer team from Ghana... he was sick nasty. We won the league twice with him on the team.

Group E: Holland wins group, Cameroon advances

Group F: Italy wins group, Paraguay advances

Group G: Brazil wins group, Portugal advances... they had trouble qualifying, but I think with Drogba's questionable state, Portugal should be able to advance. Poor North Korea... should they even bother showing up?

Group H: Spain wins the group. Toss up amongst the rest, but I got Switzerland advancing.



Second Round:
Mexico beats Nigeria
USA beats Ghana
Germany beats England
Argentina beats South Africa
Holland beats Paraguay
Brazil beats Switzerland
Italy beats Cameroon
Spain beats Portugal

Quarters:
Brazil beats Holland
USA beats Mexico
Argentina beats Germany
Spain beats Italy

Semis:
Brazil beats USA
Spain beats Argentina

Finals
Spain beats Brazil



Lionel Messi leading goal scorer.

189 yellow cards/2.5 avg per match (considering how the past few world cups have gone, this is a gross underestimation)
17 red cards



I think if the groups break down the way I see it, USA has a legit shot to get to the Semis. USA has to win their group though, otherwise they are going to have a much tougher match up against Germany.

I'm not sure about Messi with Argentina....it's not his style of soccer and he doesn't play well in their formation. I think he's going to struggle to score, just like in the qualifying matches, Maradona is going to try something really stupid that he's never tried before, something like 4 strikers and 2 defenders, and Argentina is going to bow out in the group stage (Nigeria and Greece advancing). I think Rooney is going to be the difference in group C, and England will win the group with the US advancing. But if the US just tries to piss of Rooney until he snaps and he gets a red, I can see them winning the group . And I can never count out France, Germany and Italy even if they don't seem as strong as in years' past.

Group A - France winning, Uruguay advancing
Group B - Greece winning, Nigeria advancing
Group C - England winning, USA advancing
Group D - Germany winning, Serbia advancing
Group E - Holland winng, Cameroon advancing
Group F - Italy winning, Paraguay advancing
Group G - Brazil winning, Portugal advancing
Group H - Spain winning, Chile advancing

France beats Nigeria
Greece beats Uruguay
England beats Serbia
Germany beats USA
Holland beats Paraguay
Italy beats Cameroon
Brazil beats Chile
Spain beats Portugal

France beats England
Germany beats Greece
Holland beats Brazil
Spain beats Italy

Holland beats France
Spain beats Germany

Holland beats Spain

[93henfan]

Holland beats Spain

I don't think that will make Joran Van der Sloot's cornhole feel any better in the Peruvian prison.

[bandl]

Holland beats Spain

I don't think that will make Joran Van der Sloot's cornhole feel any better in the Peruvian prison.

Too bad Peru isn't in the WC. It would be great if Holland somehow beat Peru. Can you imagine the amount of sausage he'd receive?

[93henfan]

I don't think that will make Joran Van der Sloot's cornhole feel any better in the Peruvian prison.

Too bad Peru isn't in the WC. It would be great if Holland somehow beat Peru. Can you imagine the amount of sausage he'd receive?

Do Latin Americans feel some loose connection to the motherland Spain? I figured they'd pull for their own language at least. I'd pull for Ireland or England over pretty much anyone if the USA wasn't involved.